Nine Inch Nails: Influencing Industrial Rock

Allmusic.com defines Industrial Metal, the genera that Nine Inch Nails can be put into, as such:

“While pure industrial takes its primary cues from experimental music and electronic dance, Industrial Metal makes the distorted noise of electric guitars a crucial part of the music. Some industrial metal bands base their songs around metal-style guitar ri

Trent Reznor has shown that sometimes the best way to create a long lasting impression is to break down the walls of conformity. Breaking a barrier and showing that doing something the “wrong way” can most often show more creativity then any other way, when applied properly. This can easily show how Trent Reznor and his band, Nine Inch Nails, have used such outrageous and unique ways to create their music, that it has heavily influenced, and in some cases changed, the way that Industrial Rock and Metal is created. “A lot of what I do is accidental. I luck into things. I think that due to laziness---not coming back and fixing things---they end up becoming more interesting. My instinct is to repair, edit. "I'll get to it later". But then I'll get so used to hearing it, I'll end up leaving it alone.”

ffs, while others use the instrument more for the harsh, abrasive textures it can create. Either way, industrial metal generally possesses greater aggressive force than straight-ahead industrial, which helped the style cross over to metal and alternative audiences accustomed to guitar-driven music. Industrial metal lyrics also mirror the darkness and aggression of standard heavy metal, although the sensibility is filtered through the personal alienation of punk and alternative rock. Whether its rage is turned inward at the self or outward at society, industrial metal is unremittingly bleak and angst-ridden, using its pounding walls of noise as expressions of near-hopeless alienation from the rest of the world. Ministry was the first band to popularize industrial metal in the late '80s, basing their signature grind on countless repetitions of jackhammer guitar riffs, as well as electronics, samples, and distorted vocals; however, it was Nine Inch Nails that really brought the sound to the mainstream during the early '90s, thanks to Trent Reznor's flair for melodic songwriting and multi-layered production. In the wake of Nine Inch Nails’ success, a number of similar-sounding bands popped up on alternative radio, and toward the end of the decade, a number of popular alternative metal bands appropriated industrial metal's electronic production touches into their hybrid of aggressive music styles.” (allmusic.com)

Many bands today have traces of Reznor’s success laces into their music. The unofficial Nine Inch Nails FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) has a list of other bands that Nine Inch Nails fans may enjoy:

“What I asked myself was, "What do I want to do? What is my end result?" My end result would be to get myself into a situation where I don't have to worry about a day job, my job can be making music.” He wanted to be as successful as he could at that on his terms. How could he get there? “I wanted to get a record contract”, he says. “How do I get a record contract? Well,

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